Mark Rogers Photography: San Francisco Pet Photography

03/29/2026

Some pets sit politely and give you their best side.

Others… absolutely do not cooperate with that plan.

And honestly? That’s kind of the point.

The thing I care most about when I photograph dogs and cats isn’t perfect poses—it’s personality. The head tilts. The side-eyes. The I’ll-sit-for-exactly-2.3 seconds-then-chaos energy. The quiet, soulful ones who barely move but somehow say everything.

Because if you love your pet (and I’m guessing you do), you don’t just want a photo of what they look like. You want something that feels like them.

That’s what I aim for every time—whether we’re in the studio, out on a trail, or hanging out at home where your dog owns the couch and your cat pretends you don’t exist…until dinner.

I’m Mark Rogers, a San Francisco pet photographer, and this is the kind of work I care about most.

Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at meeting animals where they are—earning their trust, working with their quirks and turning all of that into images that actually mean something to the people who love them.

The goal isn’t just a “nice photo.”
It’s the one that makes you say, yep… that’s them.

If you’ve been thinking about photos of your pet that feel real (not just well-behaved), I’d love to hear about them. DM me or comment on this post!

PS. Make sure to scroll to the last photo—it’s one of my faves of the last year!

—

 
 
 


03/29/2026

Some pets sit politely and give you their best side.
Others… absolutely do not cooperate with that plan.

And honestly? That’s kind of the point.

The thing I care most about when I photograph dogs and cats isn’t perfect poses—it’s personality. The head tilts. The side-eyes. The I’ll-sit-for-exactly-2.3 seconds-then-chaos energy. The quiet, soulful ones who barely move but somehow say everything.

Because if you love your pet (and I’m guessing you do), you don’t just want a photo of what they look like. You want something that feels like them.

That’s what I aim for every time—whether we’re in the studio, out on a trail, or hanging out at home where your dog owns the couch and your cat pretends you don’t exist…until dinner.

I’m Mark Rogers, a San Francisco pet photographer, and this is the kind of work I care about most.

Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at meeting animals where they are—earning their trust, working with their quirks and turning all of that into images that actually mean something to the people who love them.

The goal isn’t just a “nice photo.”
It’s the one that makes you say, yep… that’s them.

If you’ve been thinking about photos of your pet that feel real (not just well-behaved), I’d love to hear about them. DM me or comment on this post! And make sure you scroll to the end…the last one is my favorite shot of 2025!

—

 
 
 


03/10/2026

Yep, time to pick the pic again! Pick your favorite and post your choice in a comment below!

Is there anything better than a dachshund action hero? Meet Roo, the speediest most ball-obsessed doxie in the west.

We shot at Crissy Field for the session and Roo never stopped moving. I usually try to include a few action shots but that’s pretty much all there was from this. Not a still-portrait kind of dog!

My favorite things to do is capture what I call Dogness in front of classic SF backgrounds. Mission accomplished with Roo!

Which is your favorite? Mid-air Roo or fly-by Roo with tongue out? Comments please!

11/08/2025

Some dogs just own it. Winnie is one of them.

When her mom said she was bringing a necklace for her to the shoot I was skeptical. Two shots into it I knew I was wrong. Way wrong.

Which is your favorite? (I admit a preference for sideyr!

05/28/2025

When I work with people’s pets I’m often asked to capture specific poses, expressions or behaviors that really highlight their animal’s personality. I love the challenge and trust me, it can be challenging — especially when it’s dependent on the pet performing for someone pointing a camera and large lights at them. Double or triple that challenge if cats are involved.

When I spoke with Waffle and Strudel’s mom she really wanted some portraits of the two tabby cats but also mentioned that they loved playing with wand toys and often caught serious air. Could we try to photograph that? Challenge accepted!

Shoot day arrived and I set up in the living room while one of the cats (I think it was Waffles) observed and occasionally made reconnaissance passes. Strudel was a little shyer and stayed clear of the room. We made a big open space to give them plenty of space and left room on the side for mom to stand and hold the wand toy. I asked to watch her play with a cat so I could see how much vertical distance we were talking about.

On the first try the cat easily cleared three feet and we were off to the races. Mom proved to be most deft with the wand and what I thought was going to be a 5 or 10-minute part of the entire shoot ended up being more like 45 minutes after I realized the range of body positions and facial expressions we were getting from both cats. I pretty much had to force myself to stop and the cats had such a good time that they kept coming back and photobombing while I worked with the household’s two dogs. Cat divas!

Check out the best Waffles and Strudel below!

If you’re a pet lover and really want to capture your dog or cat’s personality and spirit so you always it I’d love to work with you. I do home sessions as well as outdoor and studio. DM me or visit my website — link in my bio.

05/19/2025

As much as I love shooting in the studio there’s something about working with a dog or cat in their happy place that’s hard to beat.

For my new friend Cooper the that place was Fort Funston — something he shares in common with many dogs in San Francisco!

On the the day we met there were neither trees or much walking but when you look through some of my favorite images from the shoot you’ll see why most people refer to it as Fort Fun

I love photographing hounds — there’s a silly, soulful earnestness to them never fails and Cooper didn’t disappoint. Hard to say which is my favorite. The leaning portrait is up there but so is Cooper running full tilt into the waves with seagulls in formation above him. Either way, his just radiates in all of these for me.

Interested in capturing your pet’s personality in a place they love? I’d be happy to help you do it. I have a few spots left in June. Just DM me or schedule a time to speak on my website

05/19/2025

03/06/2025

Low-key portraits for a pair of handsome lads.

I love the moodiness and drama of a low-key lighting set up paired with a muted colored background. It’s a very different look from the really bright and dynamic set ups I typically use and I think it brings some variety to a group of studio images.

i was really pleased with how Louis and his brother Henri looked after playing around with the orange and their parents love them!

If you’re looking for unique studio portraits of your favorite Bay Area animal I’d love to work with you. DM me or reach me through the handy contact button on my profile!

02/26/2025

Casting Call! Must Love Toys!

Looking for a few good dogs for a shoot in San Francisco. Must be medium-to-large size dogs and adore playing with soft toys without destroying them.

Well groomed and responsive to commands preferred. Shoot will be sometime in the next 3 weeks.

DM me or respond in comments. Please pass on to anyone you think might be interested.

02/25/2025

Hello again everyone! It’s been a minute. The last year has been a bit of a roller coaster and some things like social media became less of a priority for a variety of reasons that I won’t go into here.

I have missed some things for sure though and communicating with and hearing from followers is one of them. So, I am back and you’ll be seeing more frequent posts and stories from me.

To kick things off I’m starting with something fun from one of my favorite studio shoots last year. This handsome young man is Henri and he might be a little ball-obsessed (or obsessed with a little ball, either works!)

I’ll be posting more if him and his older brother Louie. I smile every time I look at them. Hope you do too

12/26/2024

Merry Christmas! A little late posting this today but still making it a few hours under the wire.

These cute Christmas cuties come courtesy of from a shoot earlier this month. Kittens, puppies and costumes, oh my!

#